The Search for Timon
by Maran Zelde
Summary: It ain't easy being a meerkat. [Hiatus]
1. Shouting Range

A/N: I'm not sure why, but I've recently become obsessed with the Lion King- especially the meerkats. They're very cute, social creatures. 

I felt the need to give Ma a "real name," since it would be weird for Max to call her Ma. So, logically, I named her "Nina," which is a Swahili word for mother. Online dictionaries are fun.

Disclaimer: All the characters in this story are owned by Disney. But you know, if I thought I could get away with writing a completely original story starring my own meerkat characters, I would.

**The Search for Timon**

Chapter 1:  
Shouting Range

**_"Are you NUTS!"_**

That's what Max shouted when his niece told him she was going to look for her son. What was the point? He was probably dead. With Timon's absolute lack of common sense there was almost a zero per cent chance he had lasted a week on his own, let alone two months. She couldn't be serious...But what if she was? Max decided he had better go up and talk to his niece, so he climbed up and stuck his head out of the nearest exit. He was surprised to see her walking away from the tunnels, already about twenty feet past the rock-and-tree sentry post.

"_Nina!_" he called.

She turned and looked at him. "I told you I was going, Max. And nothing you can say will change my mind."

The plump meerkat continued to walk away, leaving a trail of smashed grass blades. Max climbed out of the hole and began to follow her.

"Even if Timon is alive, how are you going to find him?"

Nina didn't slow her pace. "The baboon said he saw him about two months ago near his baobab tree."

"What baboon?"

She stopped and looked around. "Hm, that's strange. He was here a minute ago."

"Did he say anything else?" asked Max, finally catching up to his niece.

"He told Timon to look beyond what he sees to find a place with no worries."

Max slapped a paw to his forehead. "He'll be looking forever if he hasn't been eaten."

"I know! Now do you see why I have to find him?"

"Honestly? No. What good will it do anyone if you get killed?"

"I have to try, Max. What kind of mother would I be if I didn't?"

Max said nothing, but his face softened.

"I'll send you a message as soon as I can. Take care of yourself."

"There won't be any need, because I'm going with you."

"Really?" She smiled.

Max nodded. "You're the only family I have left, and...Well, Timon wouldn't have left if I hadn't been so hard on him."

"You mean you actually regret that?" she asked with wide eyes.

He folded his arms. "Don't put words in my mouth. If anything, I regret letting him be a sentry in the first place." In reality, Max _did_ regret that his last words to Timon were harsh ones, but he didn't want to admit it.

Nina sighed, looking a little disappointed. "Well, Timon probably would've left eventually. You know how restless he was, always dreaming of a better home."

"Our home would've been a lot better if he didn't wreck it all the time."

"Come on, Max, I thought we were finally on the same page."

"Just because I'm going to look for Timon with you doesn't mean I have to give you any moral support. My main objective is to make sure you survive."

"Well, I guess it's good to have another set of eyes, at least, even they come with cranky old meerkat. I'll need all the help I can get."

"Hey, this cranky old meerkat has a great deal of wisdom and experience."

"Wisdom my eye."

Max glowered. Nina and Timon were the only ones in the mob who didn't respect him for his age.

"Do you want me to go with you or not?" he asked.

"I want you to come, but I don't want to argue the whole time. Can we agree to try to get along for a little while?"

"Well...I suppose I could keep the negative comments about Timon to a minimum."

She grinned. "Thanks, Uncle Max; that's good enough for me. Come on, let's go to that tree."

"Hold on a second." He turned and yelled, "Hey, fellas, you're gonna need someone to take over this watch!"

Several dusty brown heads popped out of the ground. "Why? Are you leaving?" one of them asked.

"Yes, we're going to go look for Timon," called Nina. "See you in a few months."

Max held his tongue this time, but as he started to leave again he heard one of the others voice his thoughts.

"We'll never see them again, will we?"

Nina strode away with determination, and Max tried to match her pace, but he kept looking over his shoulder at the shrinking tree. He knew that in a couple of feet he would be out of Shouting Range.

No meerkat ever went past the point where he could be heard by the mob if he needed help. Out of Shouting Range, a meerkat was on his own and vulnerable in the big, hostile world. Max's heart pounded in his ribcage like an animal trying to escape as he neared that invisible line. Still he went on for several more feet, until his legs began to shake as though he hadn't eaten all day. He felt like grabbing onto someone, but Nina was too far ahead, so he hugged himself, wishing he could see in all directions at once, wishing every creature on the savanna wasn't out to get him, wishing he was safe in his tunnels.

"Uncle Max?" Nina slowly walked back to him with a pitying expression. "I know we're out of Shouting Range, but we can do this. We'll stick together and we'll get through this." She offered him her paw, which he gripped firmly, and together they walked away from the only home they had ever known.

A/N: I plan on switching back and forth between Nina's and Max's POV (third person limited). Ideally this fic will end with the colony moving to the oasis, but I don't know if I'll get that far, to be honest.


	2. Two Trees

Chapter 2:

Two Trees

"That must be it! See, I told you we were headed in the right direction."

Nina and Max had been walking for a few hours and, miraculously, they hadn't encountered a single predator. Although Max had let go of her hand a while ago, he still seemed very apprehensive, constantly looking around and sniffing the air. Nina had to admit she was nervous too. Any time they heard a strange sound they would freeze and strain to listen, ready to bolt if the source of the sound came too close. The problem was that they had no where to bolt to.

Still, Nina was determined to find her son. Since he hadn't sent a message like she'd told him to, she assumed something bad had happened...Or else he was distracted by following metaphors.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Max. "Neither of us have actually seen a baobab tree before."

"But this fits his description perfectly. Thick trunk, high domed canopy, no other trees around." As the two meerkats walked up to the enormous tree, Nina somehow sensed that there was something special and magical about it. She felt the wrinkled bark with her paw and stared up into the green depths of the canopy, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"Getting kind of overcast, isn't it?" her uncle commented beside her. Nina rolled her eyes. Leave it to Max to talk about the weather at a time like this.

"Doesn't smell like rain though," he added. "So, what do we do now?"

"We look around and see if we can figure out what Timon saw that he went to look beyond."

"I can't believe Timon has us chasing after metaphors," he said, standing on tiptoe in traditional sentry pose and peering toward the horizon. Nina joined him and tried to look at things the way her son would. What would catch his eye? There was a herd of rhinoceros in the distance, but of course they couldn't have been there two months ago. Acacias dotted the grassland, but none of them stood out.

"Look over there, to the south," said Max, pointing. "What does that look like to you?"

She immediately saw the odd jutting rock formation he was pointing at. "Wow, what a strange rock. I'll bet that's where Timon went!"

"I was afraid of that."

"Why?" She turned to look at him.

"Because I'm pretty sure that's Pride Rock."

A small knot formed in her stomach. "Pride Rock? With the lions?"

"No, with the water buffalo. Of course with the lions!" Max put his fists on his hips. "Don't you remember the stories I told you when you were a kit?"

"Oh, I remember." She clenched her fists in front of her chest. "My poor baby...If I ever see that monkey again, I'll do more than hit him with a stick! There won't be enough of him for the vultures to pick at!"

"Calm down, Nina!" said Max, putting his paw on her shoulder. "We don't know for sure that he went to Pride Rock."

"But I just _know_ he did. Look how much it stands out! Come on, we gotta go find him. Maybe those rhinos have seen him." She started to walk toward the herd.

"You're going to ask the _rhinos_?"

"I'll be fine, Max. Rhinos only eat plants."

He shook his head. "No, it's not that. It's just that rhinos have very poor eyesight."

"Oh." She paused in thought. "Well, who else can we ask?...Hey, I know! Isn't there a colony sort of close to Pride Rock?"

"I think so, unless they've moved."

"Great. We'll ask them."

Max didn't seem thrilled with the idea, and for a good reason. Meerkats are territorial by nature, and they can be aggressive toward other meerkats who might invade their burrows.

"Don't worry, we'll be diplomatic...Let me do the talking, though."

They walked for a while, the lions' rock slowly growing before them. Whenever they grew hungry, they ate insects and other creeping things, but they never stopped long.

Just before nightfall, Nina heard the unmistakable, haunting sound of hyena laughter. She froze in mid-step, listening intently. They sounded far away, but they were still too close for comfort. "Uncle Max," she whispered, "I think we ought to dig a shelter for the night. I just heard hyenas."

"Where?" whispered Max, his eyes wide and fearful.

"That way." She pointed through the grass.

Max nodded and got to work. In a couple of minutes he excavated a tunnel three times the length of a hyena's foreleg. In another minute he hollowed out a chamber for them to sleep in. Nina pushed the loose soil out.

When there was nothing else for them to do they sat down and listened to the laughs and whoops growing louder overhead.

"Just like home, isn't it?" asked Nina, trying to lighten the mood. "All we need is some grass to sleep on."

Max gave her a sharp look. "You're not thinking of going up there, are you? I shouldn't have to tell you that the world out there is _fraught _with-"

"Don't worry, Max," she interrupted, not wanting to bring on another "fraught fest." "I'm not going to risk my life for a nest." She wondered why he always jumped to conclusions like that.

"Good." He relaxed a little, staring up the tunnel for a moment. "We might as well lie down and shut our eyes, though I don't see how we're going to get any sleep." The old meerkat plopped down with surprising ease and curled up. Lying down beside her uncle, Nina began to think of all the horrible things that may have happened to Timon. What was it about the night that made her worry so much? The lumpy ground was uncomfortable, but Nina had been having trouble sleeping even in her soft nest at home. At the end of day, all of life's major issues screamed in her mind. She wondered if it had been a mistake to let her son go...But no, Timon was an adult now, and eventually he would have left without her permission or blessing, even if he was a mama's boy.

If only her husband were alive, she could pour out her heart to him, and he would listen until the fireflies went to sleep. But now she had no one to share her worries with. It would be no use talking to her uncle- he'd only make her feel worse.

ooo

Nina didn't know when or how she fell asleep, but she woke with tears forming in her eyes. She had dreamed about going to the other colony, where the meerkats told her Timon had died. "No, this has to be a dream!" she had said. But she couldn't wake up for a long time, and it had seemed so real.

Her mother had been a firm believer that dreams predicted the future, although they were often symbolic. But she had also told Nina countless times that as long as there's life, there's hope. Nina had to hope, and she was comforted a bit by the fact that if her mom or any of her other relatives were still alive, they would be searching for Timon right along with her. She knew she was doing the right thing.

Dim light filtered in through the tunnel, and Nina knew it must be early morning. After grooming herself, she climbed up to the tunnel exit, sniffing the air. It smelled of grass, dry earth, and hyenas- but that scent was a few hours old. Standing on tiptoe outside the hole, she scanned the grassland for danger and found no signs. Then she slipped back into the tunnel and went over to Max, who was sleeping with his head on his arms, and she shook him gently.

"Uncle Max, wake up. It's morning, and there's no sign of hyenas out there."

Max opened his eyes and rubbed them. "Time to get up already? I think I just fell asleep ten minutes ago." But he got up anyway, his joints popping as he stretched.

Outside, the sky was the color of granite, casting a gloom over the savanna. If only the sun would come out...Nights in the dry season were downright frigid, and she would've welcomed the chance to warm up.

They broke their fast with beetles, crickets, and a big millipede split between them. Then they continued on their way, south and slightly east.

"My legs are sore from walking yesterday," said Nina.

"We'll get used to it, I suppose," said Max.

Nina felt a little ashamed about complaining when Max was almost optimistic. "Sure we will. It isn't as though we're the first meerkats to go out on our own. Rogues do it all the time."

"The last time someone left our colony was before you were born," said Max, giving her an odd look.

"You know what I mean. It's happened many times before and it's not as strange as we think it is. And we have plenty of food, and I'm sure the sun will be out soon, and..." Hope rose within her, pushing her cares aside. "You know what? I feel like singing."

"You can't be serious," Max said with a glare. "Do I have to remind you that _singing_ got us into this mess **_in the first place_**!"

Nina glared back at him. "Well, yelling isn't going to help our situation either! I was just trying to lighten the mood."

"A lot of good that'll do when you get killed by hyenas because you're _singing_ and not paying attention!"

A maniacal laugh suddenly interrupted their argument, and they whirled around to see three hyenas standing about twenty feet downwind.

"Oh Ed, you gave us away," said the female in mock disappointment. Nina's little heart fluttered and her fur was literally standing on end. These hyenas were familiar to her; they had attacked her colony countless times. The worst part about their attacks was that they usually seemed to be for entertainment.

They were also unpredictable. Instead of following the usual nocturnal hyena schedule, they would strike at any time- sometimes even in the middle of the day.

Banzai grinned, showing off his pointed teeth (Nina knew their names from listening to them talk to each other during their attacks). "Oh well. Guess the chase is on," he said, starting to run toward the meerkats. But Nina stood frozen in terror.

"Nina! _Scurry_!" yelled Max, pulling on her arm.

"What? Oh." She snapped out of it and ran with Max.

"Yeah, you better scurry, you little weasels!" said Banzai, obviously getting some sick enjoyment out of this. Nina knew that she and Max were out of shape and would not be able to outrun the hyenas. Their hole from the night before was too far to run to. Fortunately the grass was just short enough for them to see over, and Nina spotted a tall, thin acacia tree on her left. She reached out and grabbed her uncle's wrist and dashed toward the tree. The hyena's feet pounded softly, and she could tell they were gaining on them- especially when a drop of liquid landed on top of her head.

"That better be rain," she said.

The hyenas laughed. "That's what I like about you meerkats," said Shenzi. "Even when you're running for your lives you still have a sense of humor."

Nina didn't bother telling her that she wasn't trying to be funny.

Although meerkats spend most of their time underground, they are naturally good climbers. Max and Nina scaled the tree almost as fast as monkeys.

"You won't get away that easy," said Banzai. He grabbed the thin trunk in his mouth and tried to shake it, but he couldn't move it very much.

"Forget them," said Shenzi. "I see a lioness coming over that hill. We'll get her to hunt for us."

"All right, I love harassing the lionesses!"

Nina couldn't believe her ears. The hyenas were going to try to get a lioness to hunt for them? She stopped climbing and turned her head to look down at the hyenas (which made her slightly dizzy, since she had never been this far from the ground). They were running away, but Banzai paused and looked back at them.

"You may have gotten away this time, but you can't escape forever! There are more of us in the Pridelands than you can imagine! We don't even know how many of us there are."

"Banzai, will you quit jabbering and come on! We're gonna lose her."

As Banzai turned to follow the others, Nina looked for the lioness. Max grew impatient and climbed around her, going up the other side of the trunk.

"Hey, lioness! We're hungry!" said Banzai.

"How is that my concern?" Nina was stuck by the lioness's voice; it was a bit high and very clear...It actually sounded pretty. She'd never heard a lion speak before, and she wondered if they were like jackals, who used trickery and cunning to get food. They could even imitate meerkat calls to lure them out of their tunnels.

"We share concerns now," said Shenzi. "This new era is all about sharing. What's yours is ours."

"And what are the hyenas bringing to the feast?" the lioness asked coldly.

"Our appetites," said Banzai.

"You can't share an appetite," said the lioness. "What good does that do me?"

Shenzi stepped forward. "Look. I'll tell it to you straight. We hyenas have a reputation as scavengers, but we're really very good hunters. But we've had a hard life, scraping for food in the elephant graveyard. We need a break. Can you help us out?"

The lioness held her head high. "I work just as hard as anyone to get food...And besides, I have already made a large kill this morning. If you hurry you might get there before the others eat it all."

"Oh, well why didn't you say so in the first place?" asked Shenzi.

"Where's the food? Where?" asked Banzai, jerking his head around.

"Near the southern edge of the gorge."

At that, the hyenas took off running, but Banzai paused, and Nina could barely hear what he said. "Wait a minute. Twenty bones says she's lying."

"You're probably right, but it's worth a look."

When the hyenas and the lioness were out of sight, Nina climbed up to join Max, who was crouching on a branch that was more or less horizontal.

"Did you hear that?" she asked. "Something is definitely wrong here."

"I could only make out a few words, but did you see _that_?" He gestured toward Pride Rock.

"Huh?" She noticed for the first time that it was surrounded by tiny dark grey forms. When she realized they were moving, she almost fell off the branch. Max reached out and steadied her.

"Sweet mother of Chimvi! Are those...?"

"Hyenas," said Max, his eyes narrow and shadowed. "They've taken over...again."

"But what are...How can we look for Timon with so many of them around?"

Max stared into the distance, apparently deep in thought.

"I have an idea."

A/N: You know the thing about jackals imitating meerkat calls? I totally made that up, just like I made up the "Shouting Range" thing in the first chapter. But jackals _are_ known for being sneaky, so I think it makes sense in a world with talking animals.


	3. Colony

A/N: In case it wasn't clear, Nala is still a cub when this takes place. The lioness wasn't supposed to be anyone in particular, although I did have Nala's mother in mind when I wrote it.

I've decided not to use any more English measurements in this fic. Describing things in natural terms makes it seem more authentic.

Chapter 3:

Colony

The plan was simple enough. Max reasoned that it would be much safer to go under the hyenas instead of around them, and Nina agreed. Of course, digging required a lot more time and energy than walking, so they decided to dig only until they were out of the most dangerous area. They took turns digging a long and relatively straight tunnel, and every so often one of them would go above ground to check their progress and look for signs of other meerkats.

Feeling very safe underground, Max began to relax in spite of himself, and even began to sing "Digga Tunna" as he pushed loose earth behind him.

After a little while, he became aware that his niece had stopped digging in front of him. He could tell she was talking, but he couldn't make out anything she said.

"**_What?_**"

Nina frowned and tapped her ear.

"Oh. Right." He'd forgotten that his ears were closed to keep the soil out: yet another reminder of how old he was getting. "Okay. I'm listening."

"What I was _saying_ was that we should stop to eat now. I'm starving and it's close to noon."

Although he was also very hungry, Max was reluctant to forage with so many hyenas around. But he also realized that the hyenas were the least active at this time of day. It would be a long time before they would get a better opportunity to look for food.

"All right," he said with a nod. "You eat first and I'll stand guard."

Nina dug upward, broke through the surface, and paused before giving the all clear. The fresh stench of hyena hit Max when he was still in the hole. He recoiled and looked up at the exit. "How can you say it's 'clear'!"

"It smelled exactly the same the last time we broke the surface, and the time before that. We're just gonna have to take our chances."

As much as he hated to admit it, he knew she was right: they wouldn't last long if they were weak from hunger. Poking his head out, he could see nothing but his niece and a wall of brown vegetation.

"I don't like this. The grass is too tall." He climbed out and stood on tiptoe, but the grass was still over his head.

"I know. I was hoping you would give me a boost so I could see what's out there."

"All right. See if you can find a tree or rock that we can climb on to watch for predators."

Max got down on all fours and allowed her to stand on his back. His old legs and back strained to hold up the extra body pressing down on him.

"A sentry! I see a sentry!"

"What!" Max couldn't believe it. "Where?"

Nina must have finished looking around, because she jumped down from his back. "Due east, and just barely within Shouting Range. But let's try not to let them know we're here yet. I've been planning a little surprise for them."

"Whatever you do, don't piss 'em off," said Max, standing up straight.

Nina laughed, but there was a tense nervousness behind it. The chase that morning had set them both on edge, and Max guessed that Nina, like himself, expected a hyena to bound out of the grass and snap them up any moment now.

"I'm more worried about _you_ pissing them off, Max. I have a _good_ surprise for them, and I'll tell you about it after I eat."

"That reminds me, did you see a good lookout point up there? Besides the one the sentry was using, that is."

"Yes, there's a nice big rock to the southwest...Wait a second." She put a paw to her chin. "If we stand on the rock, the sentry will notice...But that can't be helped," she said with a shrug. "My plan should still work, anyhow."

"All right, let's just get on with it."

The jutting, layered rock appeared to be the same type as the lions' stronghold, but of course it was much smaller. Max went up to the highest point and stood on his toes, surveying the land. Birds flew beneath the low grey clouds, and the breeze carried scents of grass, insects, and various animals--including the ever-present hyena smell. In the distance, near Pride Rock, he could just make out their resting forms.

"Clear," he called. The grass rustled below in reply. Max kept his guard up, scurrying about the rock, sniffing the air and flinching, always expecting an attack. He couldn't allow himself to pay much attention to the strange sentry in the east, but he did notice that the meerkat was sitting completely still on the highest branch of a half-dead tree. He'd probably fall off if he tried to scurry on that thin branch.

Finally Nina returned, and to Max's surprise she was carrying a medium-sized scorpion and various insects.

"You didn't have to bring me anything, Nina."

"Well..." She dug her toe into the rock. "Actually, I didn't. These are part of my plan."

Max folded his arms, more than a little disappointed that the grub wasn't for him. "I think you'd better tell me about this plan of yours."

"Okay, here it is. We give the mob food, and they're a lot less likely to hurt us and more likely to listen."

"Seems like an awful lot of work to ask a simple question."

"In case you haven't noticed, we've _always_ had to work hard for simple things. Isn't that what being a meerkat is all about?"

Max rubbed his chin. "You have a point..."

"But?"

"But I still think we'd be better off asking the rhinos."

His niece smiled and rolled her eyes. "Oh, just get down there and eat. I think the whole continent can hear your stomach growling."

ooo

The insect population in the Pridelands was just like the one at Max's colony: abundant but mediocre in taste. It was obvious that Nina had saved her best finds for the strange mob. Not only that, but she seemed to have captured nearly all the good bugs in the area. Max stared wistfully at the pawful of small grubs he'd found. It was awkward to carry them around while hunting for more food, especially since meerkats usually forage on all fours. How had Nina managed to carry that load?

After he'd had his fill, Max returned to the rock with the grubs and a stunned millipede.

"Is that all you could find?" said Nina.

He shrugged. "This is it."

"Well, thanks for trying, anyway. This'll have to be enough; the shadows are getting longer." She gathered her bugs and jumped off the steep side of the rock, landing nimbly in the grass below. Max walked down the more gently sloping side, not wanting to put unnecessary shock on his joints. Together they made a straight path toward the colony, and it wasn't long before they heard a young female voice cry out.

"Rogues comin' this way!"

The grass rustled in front of them, and a few beats later two males immerged.

"This is _our _turf!" one of them said. "Get lost!"

But the other meerkat looked puzzled. "What on earth are the bugs for?"

"They're for you...Or for anyone in your colony who wants to share."

Both meerkats were taken aback. "But why?"

"To show you that we don't mean any harm. We only want to ask you if you've seen my son."

She set the food down in front of them, and Max quickly did the same- he was tired of holding it.

The first meerkat looked around uncertainly. "I...Umm...Where the seven holes is Ronjo? He'll know what to do."

"I'm right here." A male who was at least a head taller than the other meerkats broke through the grass. Several others came up behind him and surrounded Max and Nina on three sides. "What's going on?" asked the one called Ronjo.

"They want to give us these bugs," said the first meerkat.

"And they're looking for their son," the other one added.

"He's not _my_ son," said Max, not caring much that Nina had told him to let her do the talking. The strange meerkats weren't half as threatening as he had expected. Even Ronjo, who was easily the biggest meerkat Max had ever seen, looked more surprised than angry, and he wasn't acting as if he wanted to fight. As for Nina, her mouth had dropped open, and then closed to form a tight line. Obviously she didn't appreciate being mistaken for Max's mate.

Since his niece seemed tongue-tied at the moment, Max took it upon himself to do what they'd come to do so they could all get on with their miserable lives. "He's my great-nephew," he continued. "He's about this tall with red head-fur and five stripes, and answers to the name Timon. Have you seen him?"

Ronjo lowered his brow in thought. "How old is he?"

"Only a year and a quarter," said Nina.

"That's pretty young for a rogue, but not so young that he couldn't survive on his own," said Ronjo.

Max snorted. "You don't know Timon. He probably doesn't even have the sense to dig a shelter for the night." He ignored the glare Nina shot at him.

"The last time we saw a rogue was about two months ago," said Ronjo. Some of the meerkats nodded in confirmation.

"That's around the time Timon left!" said Nina.

"The one we saw was a redhead, but we didn't count his stripes, and we couldn't tell how tall he was because..." At this point, the other meerkats were smiling with secret mirth. "Well, you're not going to believe this, but he was riding a warthog."

Ronjo was right: Max _didn't_ believe it. He wouldn't have been more disbelieving if they'd told him Timon had ridden on the back of a giant butterfly.

"Is this some kind of joke?" asked Nina, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh no, we were all there," said a female. "We saw it. Ask anyone in our colony."

"Yup, it's true," said the sentry.

"We were on our way to Simba's presentation when the warthog ran past us," explained one of the males. "The meerkat was clinging to the back of his head. They went into the crowd and we never saw them after that."

"Crowd? Of _what?_" asked Nina.

"Oh, you know, all the animals that showed up for the presentation. None of the carnivores were allowed to hunt until noon, so everyone could be there together."

"They should have made it the whole day," said a female. "One stinking day to not worry about getting eaten! Is that too much to ask?"

Ronjo frowned at her. "That's not our place to decide."

The female crossed her arms and stared at the ground. "Well, it should be."

"Hey guys, the hyenas are startin' to move around," called the sentry.

Ronjo looked up. "Any coming this way?"

"Not yet, but you better hurry up and finish eating. And don't forget my watch is almost up."

"All right, Chote, I know."

"She's eleven months old and thinks she knows everything," a smaller male muttered.

"Well, if you need more food, you're welcome to what we've brought here," said Nina.

"Thank you," Ronjo said with a grin, "That's a very nice gesture."

"I'm glad you think so." Nina had seemed flustered just moments earlier, but now she appeared calm and confident again. "Now, can you tell us which direction the meerkat went?"

"They looked like they were trying to go around the west side of Pride Rock," said a male as he picked up the scorpion. "But don't quote me on that. It was hard to tell, it happened so fast."

"Great, we're on the wrong side of the rock," said Max.

"But at least we have a better idea of where to look," said Nina. "We'll get there eventually. Thank you all, you've been a big help."

"No problem." Ronjo took a little white grub from the pile. "Good luck finding your boy."

"And good luck staying alive with all these hyenas around," said Max. "I'll be glad when we leave this place."

ooo

After they had gone out of Shouting Range, Max and Nina dug a little way underground and stopped to discuss their next course of action.

"I've got to hand it to you, Nina," said Max, "that bug idea really worked."

Nina smiled. "Thanks, I knew it would."

"Now, what do you think about the warthog story?" he asked, settling into a sitting position.

"I think they were telling the truth. Did you notice how they all smiled before Ronjo even said anything?"

"I did notice that." He nodded. "And Timon's just crazy enough to try a stunt like that."

"No, Max, he's smarter than you think." Nina's green eyes glinted with pride. "He convinced a bigger animal to carry him because he knew he'd be safer."

"Until the warthog gets mauled by a lion."

"Well...Yes, that could happen, but at least he's saf_er_...If he's still with the warthog." Her gaze grew distant even though there was a wall of earth right in front of her nose. "I just wish I knew."

A/N: This chapter was a little harder to write than the others because I wasn't sure how all the meerkats should interact. I rewrote half the conversation, but I finally ended up with something I'm fairly satisfied with.


	4. The Other Side

A/N: Thanks to those of you who reviewed. This chapter has some flashbacks which are in italics so no one will get confused.

Chapter Four:

The Other Side

It was slow going, but by late afternoon Nina and Max had dug their way around Pride Rock. By this time, Nina was exhausted, having slept little the night before. Her head was in a haze as she broke through the surface to get her bearings. She was in a large bare patch of ground, which gave her the perfect view of a terrible sight.

Three half-grown hyenas surrounded a little ground squirrel, laughing as the poor creature scurried back and forth to try to find an opening. Though they were not yet adults, they were quite powerful, with strong jaws and large, pointed teeth. Nina was petrified. She had seen this before; death wouldn't come easily for this prey. Some hyenas savored fear and pain almost as much as meat.

"Okay, we've had our fun," one of them said. "You can go." The hyena moved to the side, and the squirrel hesitated for a couple of heartbeats before making a mad dash for freedom, only to be blocked when the hyena sprang back to close the circle. "Gotcha!" She knocked the squirrel back effortlessly with a swipe of her paw.

Nina felt fury rise within her, burning away the haze of exhaustion. She knew she couldn't let this happen again- not if she could do anything about it. Max's questions of what was going on barely registered. "Stay back, Uncle Max," she said, and she sprang out of the hole and ran a little way toward the hyenas.

"Hey, cowards! Does it really take three hyenas to bring down a squirrel?" Her voice wasn't nearly as loud as Max's, but it did the job. The three young hyenas turned their heads toward her- and so did the older hyenas that were lying farther away. Seizing the opportunity, the squirrel sped off in the opposite direction, and Nina turned around and darted back to the hole. Her tail go caught on something on the way, but she quickly tugged herself free and plummeted into the tunnel, colliding head-on with Max.

"Max! I told you to stay back!" A huge grey paw slid in after her, and they ran back until they were sure it couldn't reach them.

"I wanted to see what was going on," replied Max, rubbing his back where it had hit the ground when Nina slammed into him. "From now on I'm going to look first. No more scampering out to rescue total strangers!"

"So it would be better to let him die, is that it?" Nina's heart was still pounding from fear and excitement.

"Better than throwing your life away for nothing!" His fists were clenched at his sides. "Don't you realize you could have been killed? You think you can face carnivores thirty times your size! It ain't natural, I tell you!"

"I _know_ all that!" she snapped. "But what they did to that squirrel reminded me of what they did to Nate. It _killed_ him, Max. Don't you get it? I couldn't watch it happen again."

Max slowly opened his fists and shook his head sadly. "You've got too much of your father in you."

Nina was surprised; Max hardly ever talked about her father, although the rest of the colony mentioned him often. She opened her mouth to speak, but Max continued. "I tried to teach him to be a good meerkat, you know. To respect the elders, play it safe, and above all, to stay away from creatures with fangs and talons." His brow furrowed. "He never listened to a word I said."

As he spoke, Nina became aware of a little pricking sensation in the spot where her tail had snagged. . . No, it hadn't snagged, she realized. One of the hyenas' claws had scratched her. She curled her tail in front of her and bent to inspect it.

"You're bleeding," said Max in alarm.

"It's not that bad. I'm fine." Nina sucked on the wound; there was no other way to clean it in the tunnel, and her mother had always said saliva was as good as water.

ooo

After a brief rest, they continued to dig, but they weren't sure which way to go. There was no one else for them to ask, and it was too dangerous to take more than a quick look above ground, which made it all the more difficult to figure out what Timon "looked beyond" next. Max thought he had headed southwest, but Nina thought he might have gone to "Smog Land."

"Are you kidding me?" said Max. "Even Timon's not _that_ crazy. I wouldn't set foot in that geologically unstable area even if there are no hyenas there."

Nina didn't ask how he knew a phrase like "geologically unstable."

In the end they agreed to skirt around the hyena's former territory. As the weak daylight faded, so did Nina's energy, and though they hated to spend another night in the Pridelands, they knew they had no choice.

"We should be out of it before noon," said Max. "Try to get some sleep tonight."

But sleep didn't come easily. When Nina curled up and closed her eyes, memories rushed to the surface of her mind.

"_I beat you again, Dad!" Timon grinned and jumped around in the bright noon sun. He was eight weeks old._

"_And you even gave me a head start that time!" Nate grinned back at him. "You sure are fast, kiddo."_

"_I know!" Timon agreed. "C'mon, let's race again. Ready, set-"_

"_Maybe later, Timmy. I'm feeling a bit winded."_

_Naturally, Timon's tiny face scrunched up in confusion. "There's no wind now."_

"_No, I mean, I need to catch my breath."_

"_That's silly. How do you catch a breath?"_

_By the time Nate made Timon understand what he meant, his breathing was back to normal, and they raced again._

_ooo_

_It was the start of evening twilight, and Timon stood by himself, staring toward the thin clouds that were still lit with orange. The new crescent moon resembled a crisp smile hanging above the glowing clouds. _

_Nina walked up to stand beside him. "Pretty, isn't it?"_

_For a few moments, Timon watched the colors fade in silence. Then he turned to look down at Nina. At seven months old, he had reached his full height, but he wouldn't come of age for a few more months. "What happens to us when we die?" he asked. "I've been told so many different things. . . How can anyone be sure?"_

_The question didn't surprise her. Actually, she was surprised he hadn't asked sooner; they had lost Nate almost three weeks earlier. "Well. . . I know there's an afterlife the same way I know rain will come after a drought. . . After you die, it can only get better." _

_Timon seemed pacified. "That makes sense. . . I still miss him, though. I wonder what he's doing now?"_

_Nina's eyes grew moist, but she smiled. "Probably talking to your grandparents, telling them how proud he is of you."_

"_Not much to be proud of," Timon muttered, staring at the dry ground._

"_That's not true, Timon," She put her hand on his shoulder. "You're a great kid. You've got a good heart, a good imagination, and a great sense of humor. That's more than you can say about a lot of meerkats."_

ooo

The next morning, Max and Nina made good progress until they came to a barrier they hadn't expected. They heard it before they saw it: a constant gurgling sound that was almost musical. It reminded Nina of splashing in a puddle. And in a sense, it turned out to be the biggest puddle she'd yet seen.

She'd heard of rivers, of course, but it never occurred to her that she and Max might have to cross one. It was wider than a giraffe is tall, and though the current did not seem strong, it was very muddy. Anything could have been in it.

"Well," she said, "I guess we'll have to swim across."

Max gave her an are-you-nuts look.

"What else are we going to do? Go around it?" She put a paw on her hip and gestured toward the stream. "Sit here until it dries up? Or maybe you'd rather go back home?"

He winced. "All right, I get it. We don't have much of a choice." Still they delayed, looking around nervously. Max was trembling the way he had when they'd first left their colony.

"Look," said Nina, putting her paw on his shoulder and pointing across the stream. "Those antelope are coming down to the water. It must be safe." The slender orange-brown antelope seemed almost as nervous as the two meerkats. Their ears swiveled as they cautiously bent to suck at the water.

Nina turned back to her uncle, who seemed less than convinced. "We'll go on three," she said, trying to sound confident and firm. "One. . . Two. . ."

"If we die, I'll never forgive you."

She faltered. "Now you've gone and interrupted me. I'll start over. . . One. . . Two. . . Three."

They jumped into the stream and found that it was shallow enough for them to stand. The chilly water swished into their fur as they waded forward. Soon it was up past their necks and they discovered that, like most mammals, they could swim reasonably well. They could keep their heads above water and push themselves forward, and that was enough. Nina fixed her gaze on the bank and thought about climbing onto the dry, firm earth. Shoving aside her fears of crocodiles and snapping turtles, she focused on her destination.

Then she shrieked as something smooth and hairless brushed against her feet.

"What happened!" Max said in a panic.

"S-something touched me!" said Nina, panicking even more.

"Where?"

"My feet- I don't know where it is now!"

"Just- just keep swimming as fast as you can. There's nothing else we can do."

"What do you _think_ I'm doing!" She paddled as fast as she could, but the shore was approaching very slowly. It was a huge relief when her feet finally touched the muddy bed. She and Max ran as quickly as the water would allow until they climbed onto the bank. Then they ran further until they were well away from the stream. Nina dropped to the ground with her arms stretched out, embracing as much of the land as she could.

"Hey- you okay?"

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, Nina looked up and saw one of the antelope bending toward her.

"I'm fine now, thanks," she said, standing up and shaking water out of her fur.

"Since you're not dead or hurt, it was prolly just a fish that touched you," he assured her.

"Okay. . ." She wasn't sure what to say to that. "That's good to know, I guess." She shook again, spraying little droplets; then she looked up again as she remembered something.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to have seen a meerkat riding a warthog, would you?"

The large animal blinked in surprise. "Actually, yeah. We saw them the day of Simba's ceremony." He paused. "It's really sad, what happened. He was only a kid and all. . ."

"_What? _Who?" Anxiety rose within her.

"Simba." The antelope raised an eyebrow. "You know, King Mufasa's son? Got trampled by wildebeests?"

"Oh," she said, trying not to sound relieved. "Yeah. Anyway, do you know where the meerkat and warthog went?"

"No idea."

"Hm. Well, thanks anyway." She turned to Max, who was busy wringing his tail. "Come on, Uncle Max, let's keep going south. . . Oh, you missed a spot." A patch of fur on his tail was sticking up a little, and she smoothed it down, not caring much that her own fur was still scruffy all over.

* * *

A/N: I couldn't find a Swahili name for Timon's father that suited me, so I finally dubbed him Nate after Nathan Lane, who I hope you know is the voice of Timon. I still think that the writers of TLK 1.5 meant for Fearless Buzz to be Timon's father, but I thought of something else that works better for this particular fanfic. And since he never made it to the movie, I can take more liberties with him.

By now you've probably guessed how Buzz is related to our meerkat heroes.

P.S. There's a reference to the movie _Robots_ in this chapter. Can anyone spot it?


	5. Beyond the Pridelands

A/N: Sorry about the delay. I'm trying to start a new job, and I'm really struggling. Are there any Ohioans reading this who need health insurance? No, really.

Anyway, I was watching TLK for the millionth time when I caught a mistake. Scar says "He didn't show you what's beyond the rise of the northern border?" but if you carefully watch the scene with Mufasa and Simba on top of Pride Rock, you can see that the Elephant Graveyard is _south_ of them. That's why the Elephant Graveyard is south of Pride Rock in this fic. Geography is very important in a questing story.

There's another flashback coming up, but I'm going to try to resist putting them in every chapter. That would be overdoing it.

I hope this chapter is worth the wait.

Chapter Five:

Beyond the Pridelands

After digging their way to the west of the old hyena territory, Max and Nina reached the southern border of the Pridelands. No one had ever told them exactly how big the Pridelands were or what landmarks to look for at the boundaries. But somehow, they just _knew_ when they were out of it. The oppressive gray clouds broke into cheerful white ones, allowing the sun to shine through. And more importantly, the horrible smell of hyena faded to old traces and finally disappeared altogether.

By then, the two meerkats decided that it was safe to stop digging. They walked through the warm, dry grass and smiled, taking everything in.

"I told you we'd be out of it by noon," said Max, feeling pleased with himself.

"You were right. Sometimes it pays to think positive, don't you think?" Nina nudged him gently with her elbow.

Max snorted. "I'm a realist, always have been." He stood on tiptoe to peek over the grass, with his back to the wind. There didn't appear to be any carnivores around, and there was a little hill that would make a nice sentry point. It was Max's turn to eat first, so Nina scampered over to the hill and stood guard while he foraged. Food was constantly in the meerkats' thoughts since they needed to eat several times a day - quite unlike the large predators, fortunately.

In the three days since Max had left his colony, he had not felt better. The sun warmed his back as he ate his fill, and he even discovered a species of beetle that he had never seen before. But when he went to relieve his niece, he became positively livid at the sight of her. Nina's sentry moves were the worst he'd seen in months, and that included the times he had trained kits. Why, she wasn't even flinching! Max would have thought it was because she was so exhausted - if he hadn't seen her "stand guard" the exact same way before Timon left. No, Nina was getting cocky, but Max was determined to set her straight for good. He rushed toward her, driven by fear and anger, until he was close enough to grab her shoulders.

"What is _wrong_ with you, Nina! You're not flinching, and that scurry was more of a walk!"

Nina looked up at the sky and let her arms hang at her sides. "Relax, Uncle Max..."

"_Relax?_ How can you expect me to relax when you're up here lollygagging like a hyena pup in its den!"

Like any respectable meerkat, Nina was quite offended at being compared to a hyena. Her mouth opened slightly and her gaze hardened. "Just because I didn't do it the traditional way doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention." At these words, she remembered that she really should still be watching for carnivores and threw a quick glance and a sniff over her shoulder. Then she continued in a voice that was quieter, but just as intense. "To be honest with you, I never really saw the point of flinching anyway. What good does it do? Can it tell you anything about the world around you? Can it help you escape from hyenas?" She shrugged Max's paws off her shoulders and spread her arms. Max stiffened, and he felt his chest burning. He'd had almost the exact same argument with his younger brother; over and over they would go through the same points, never coming to any kind of resolution. Max's answer to Nina was the same one he had given to Buzz.

"I'll tell you what flinching does. It helps us remember our place in the Circle of Life. It reminds us that we're not invincible, far from it! There's no guarantee that either of us will last another moment! In fact it's very likely we'll be devoured by sunset."

His niece put her paw over her eyes. "Okay, you know what? I'm just going to go eat. Maybe it'll give us both a chance to calm down."

"All right, but don't think you're getting out of talking about this. I'm going to make sure you do it the right way next time!"

As Nina stalked away, Max wondered why he was the only sane member of his family. It was a question he had been asking nearly all his life.

_Max carried a large rock, following the line until he reached the surface. Here they all spread out toward the edge of Shouting Range where they would deposit their burden. _

_He was supposed to be mentoring Buzz, but the four month-old kit had made fun of the digging song, and Max had yelled at him, and they'd both said things they didn't really mean. Max loved his bother, but sometimes he needed a break from him or else he'd strangle the little guy. His thoughts of Buzz were interrupted, though, by a cry from the sentry._

"_**Eagle!**"_

_The other meerkats turned their heads up to see a martial eagle pulling its wings in close to its body as it dove down from the pale gray clouds. Panic sprang in as everyone ran for the nearest hole. Dropping the stone, Max scurried toward a tunnel entrance, but he stopped when a little tan blur flashed by._

"_Buzz?" Max turned and saw his brother slow to a stop, too. But Buzz didn't look at Max; he only stared up into the sky, standing as straight and still as a support beam. Max glanced up and saw that the eagle was much closer, with its long legs and deadly talons stretched toward the meerkats. "**Run, **Buzz!" His brother made no sign that he had heard. With a grimace, Max ran to Buzz and tugged his arm fiercely. "I said **run!**"_

_Buzz growled in annoyance, but he complied, struggling to walk as Max pulled him roughly along. Buzz's gaze never left the predatory bird as it swooped toward him, until they were about a length apart. Then Max pulled him in the tunnel, where they could see only earth and a rough circle of clouds. Panting, Max looked at the tunnel roof. Good old earth! What would he do without it?_

"_Why couldn't we stand up to an eagle?" Buzz's small fists clenched in front of him as he glowered at his big brother. "He didn't look so tough! I bet we could scare him away if we threw rocks at him."_

_If Max hadn't been so angry and shaken he would have laughed. His brother had said some strange things before, but this beat all! "Buzz, you're obviously not blind, so you must either be a lunatic or an idiot. **Nothing** can stop an eagle in its dive, understand? You might as well throw rocks at the rain to stop it from falling."_

_Buzz glanced away, stumped for the moment. "There must be some way. Someday I'll think of something. And I'm not an idiot!"_

"_Then you're nuts. Just as I thought."_

"_Hey, just because I'm not afraid of anything doesn't mean I'm crazy. I'm totally in touch with reality!"_

"_Uh-huh," Max grunted and began to pull Buzz again, toward the meeting chamber._

"_No, really. Ask me a question only a sane person would know."_

_Max pretended to think. "Let's see...Oh, I got one. Is it possible for a meerkat to scare an eagle?"_

"_Ask me another one," Buzz said quickly._

Eight years later, Max still did not understand his brother, and he guessed he never would. Buzz just couldn't recognize his own limitations. Amazingly, he had actually been able to hold his own against a large snake or a single jackal if he had a rock or stick. One time he'd even saved Nina from an eagle. But he hadn't seen that hyenas were too much for him. Max shuddered even as he stood to sniff on the little hill. He was determined to stop Nina from heading down the same tunnel as her father. Perhaps it was not too late to change her.

ooo

The next few days seemed surreal to Max. He and Nina covered ground instead of moving it, and now they only dug out a place to sleep every evening. Waking up to a different view each morning took some getting used to.

Although they now walked every day and rarely smelled hyenas, their journey was certainly not without danger. Max was mostly concerned about eagles. The land predators usually hunted by night, and most of them couldn't climb. But how could two roving meerkats escape from an eagle? Their only chance was to lie flat in the grass and hope it didn't see them (and in order to do this, they had to try not to dwell on the fact that eagle eyes are among the keenest in the world).

Still, they were able to get through the next three days without any narrow escapes. Max enjoyed this break as much as he could, and he coached Nina on the sentry positions until she agreed to flinch if he would just leave her alone. The flinches were halfhearted at best, but it was better than nothing.

Nina became concerned, however, when on their third evening away from the Pridelands they had not heard anything about Timon passing that way, even though they spoke with almost every non-threatening creature they found. "Maybe he didn't go this way," she said. "I think we should start heading back to the Pridelands tomorrow and pick a different direction."

"Back to the Pridelands? You can't be serious." Max folded his arms over his chest.

"Oh, we wouldn't actually go _in_ the Pridelands. We'll just go to the border."

"He still might have gone this way. If he and the warthog split up, not many animals would notice him."

"That's true." Nina's shoulders drooped. "There's no way to know, really."

"But either way, it's very likely that he kept going south," continued Max. "You know how he has a one-track mind."

"Yes, but what if someone said something to him to make him turn west or east? We can't just keep going blindly in one direction."

They both fell silent as they considered this predicament, until Nina turned her head, following a movement in the grass. "Oh, hey, a mouse! Excuse me, ma'am." Nina took a few steps forward, pushing through the waist-high grass. "I'm looking for my son, and I was wondering if you've seen him. He was last seen riding a warthog in the Pridelands."

Max could not see the mouse, but a quivering voice squeaked out from the grass.

"Y-yes, I think...Yes, I saw him!"

"Really?" She clasped her paws. "When? And which way did he go?"

"Er, er, yesterday. And he went, I think, that way."

"Only a day ahead! That's wonderful!"

Max was extremely skeptical. There was obviously no way they could have caught up to them that quickly. Mice were even lower on the food chain than meerkats, and this one would apparently say anything to make the two larger creatures leave.

He was about to point this out to Nina when a shrill bark screamed from their left. Max's heart went into overdrive. That sound could only mean that jackals were hot on their trail. Without a word, Max and Nina dashed to the nearest tree. Max's ears were filled with the rustling grass and his pounding heart, and when they climbed the tree, one of the dogs jumped up and snapped his jaws. If Max had been any slower, he would have lost a footpaw, or probably worse. Soon, however, the meerkats were well out of the jackals' reach, and they sat breathing heavily on a branch lit by the red sunset.

The black-backed jackals were a mating pair, and they circled the tree and yipped for a moment or two, until the male turned to his mate.

"My dear wife, it looks as if our meal has escaped us," he said grandly, as though he were announcing to the entire world. "Let us look for food elsewhere."

"Yes, let's," said the female.

"Amateurs," Max muttered. "You know they're waiting behind that hill for us to come down. Do they think we were born yesterday?"

"It's no wonder they're so skinny," Nina agreed, "but we're still stuck up here until they really leave, and how will we know when they're gone?"

All of a sudden, an eagle screech rang out at close range. Nina gasped and ducked down, although it would do her precious little good on a tree limb. But Max pulled her up. "It's all right, it's just the jackals trying to scare us down. Didn't you notice it sounded a little off, and it came from the ground?"

For the first time in ages, Nina looked at her uncle with genuine admiration. "Thanks, Uncle Max. You sure are the voice of reason today!"

"You don't even know the half of it. Listen-"

But the hooting of an owl interrupted Max.

"Okay, now _that_ sounded just like the real thing." Nina cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey, can you do an elephant?"

"Nina!" Max gave her a stern glare, but to his surprise, he heard a poor imitation of an elephant trumpet.

"That one wasn't even close," she said with a small chuckle.

"This is ridiculous." Max put a paw to his forehead. "I've never seen such simple jackals in all my days."

"Careful, Max," said Nina, grinning at him. "They might have heard you."

"I don't care."

"Can you do a lion?" she called, clearly enjoying this game.

Nina was answered by a growl directly below them. Max frowned. Could the jackals have moved without them noticing?

"You need to work on that one, too," she said. "It sounds more like a leopard."

A leopard... Max glanced straight down and felt the blood leave his face. A big spotted cat was standing on the ground with his forelegs up against the trunk, fixing Max in his wide, intense gaze.

"Nina..."

"What? ...Oh." That was all she could say before the leopard sat back on its haunches and leapt up.

A/N: Again, I took artistic license with the jackals. They're not really like mockingbirds, but it would be cool if they were.

If you want to see how ginormous martial eagles are, go to:

www . hawk-conservancy . org (slash) priors (slash) martial . shtml (without the spaces and with real slashes)

Scroll down to the picture of the man with the eagle on his arm. You can see why meerkats are easy prey for that thing!

By the way, meerkats really do lie in the grass to hide from eagles when no holes are nearby. I have no idea how well it works.


	6. Shelter

A/N: Yes, I know it's been over half a year since I updated! I apologize to the four or five readers who have been looking forward to this chapter for so long. Life just got in the way. I quit a job and got a better one, found an apartment, and finally got serious about publishing my children's book (mailed it to a publisher, waiting for the results). So my fanfiction had to be put on the back burner. But I like this story too much not to dust it off and update it from time to time. I must admit, though, that when I went back and read the first chapter recently, I said to myself, "Wow, this really isn't very good. I don't think I would want to keep reading it if I hadn't written it." Okay, actually, I would keep reading it, but only because it stars Ma and Max. Anyway, that was over a year ago (!), and I believe my writing has improved since then.

This fanfic has official fanart now! It's the scene from Chapter 5 where Nina is talking to the mouse. View the illustration in all its wonderful Photoshop glory at Holbyta's fanart site. There's a link to it at the top of my bio. Thanks a million, Holbyta!

Chapter 6:

Shelter

The leopard jumped onto the branch just below the two meerkats, and Nina felt her gut clench with terror. She couldn't think straight; she could only react. As the leopard quickly scaled the tree with its powerful legs, Nina and Max clambered up as high and fast as they could, up to the thin twigs at the top. Nina hoped the heavy cat wouldn't be able to climb that high without breaking the branches, but he balanced on a thicker, lower limb and reared up on his hind legs. A huge paw with five sharp claws shot up at her. Without thinking, she leapt sideways to dodge the claws, and suddenly the ground rose up to meet her. The leaves rustled as she fell past them, and she heard her uncle shout her name. Then her paws slammed into the ground, and she twisted her head up to see the leopard falling down toward her. She sprinted away through the grass. There was a dull thud when the leopard landed behind her, but Nina didn't look back; she just kept running, faster and farther than she would have ever thought possible. Yet it still wasn't fast enough. She knew she couldn't outrun a leopard. It seemed that every breath might be her last. If only she had a place to hide! But all she could see were grass and trees and sky. The leopard's soft footfalls were right on her tail, barely audible above the pounding of her heart.

Then Nina came to the crest of a hill and saw an elephant-sized boulder rising out of the ground at the bottom of the slope. A crack split it from top to bottom, and it looked just wide enough for her to fit inside. She practically flew down the hill and darted into the crevasse. As she scurried deep into the broken rock, two claws sliced the skin on her back. The sudden pain drove her forward even faster, and she had to turn sideways as the crack narrowed. Panting, she looked back to see the leopard's paw stretch toward her. It stopped two full body lengths short. It strained, toes spread, claws extended - then it slipped back toward its owner.

Only then did Nina lean against the side of the crack, trembling and trying to catch her breath. She was safe...But what about Max? Somehow she had to make sure he was all right. Though she was injured, she sensed that the scratches weren't deep, and she had developed a high threshold for pain.

Nina could see that the crack kept going narrower until there was hardly any space at all, only a jagged line of blue. She looked back the way she had come and saw the leopard's claws scrape against the inside of the crack again. Half his face was visible, and his pupils were as wide as ostrich eggs. No doubt the smell of blood excited him: it meant he had scored a hit. She shuddered again.

There was soil beneath Nina's paws, but not enough space to dig. She couldn't try climbing up the crack; the leopard would beat her to the top of the rock. If anyone was ever truly stuck between a rock and a hard place, it was Nina.

Then it struck her that she didn't have to escape to make sure Max was safe. As long as the leopard was right there trying to get at her, he couldn't chase Max. She made up her mind to keep the big cat occupied as long as possible. It was only a temporary solution, but she couldn't think of anything else to do. So she crept toward the leopard, as close as she dared, then quickly scooted back when he swatted at her. She continued to scoot forward and back, over and over. It was almost a game, but Nina wasn't having any fun at all. She still had no idea how she was going to meet her uncle again, and twilight was starting to set in.

After a little while, Nina heard - and felt - a very soft scraping above her head, slightly toward the wide end of the crevasse. It took her a moment to pick out the small figure shadowed against the stripe of deep blue twilight.

"Uncle Max!" Relief surged through her - then it vanished like a wisp of steam when the leopard tilted his head up and jumped to the top of the rock.

"Get down! The leopard-!" But Max had started to climb down even before she warned him. He scrambled down to her level surprisingly fast.

"I knew I smelled blood." His face was the picture of concern as he looked her over. "Any broken bones? Is your tail missing? Never mind, I see it now. Did you-"

"Oh, Max!" Nina threw one arm around his shoulder and gave him a tight half-hug in the cramped space. She felt him shaking. "I'm fine, except for a couple of scratches. How about you?"

"I'm all right," said Max. "Though I think I might be going crazy, getting that close to a leopard on purpose."

Nina grinned. "You must turning into-" She broke off, knowing Max didn't like to talk about her dad.

To her surprise, Max simply raised an eyebrow and said, "Turning into your father? You better hope I'm not if you want me to live to ten." He gently placed his paw on her back. "Now let's have a look at those scratches."

Max examined Nina's wounds and cleaned them a bit, stopping to flinch whenever the leopard shoved his paws into the crack. But soon the leopard seemed to realize that the two meerkats were staying put, so he stalked off in search of easier prey.

Nina and Max knew the folly of venturing out of hiding right after a predator leaves. As they waited between the two halves of the rough, cold boulder, Nina's heartbeat slowed, and she began to think about Max. She'd never expected him to go toward a big carnivore, but the journey away from the colony seemed to be pushing him to take more risks. Then there was the fact that he had said more about her father in the past three days than he had in the three years since Buzz had died. Nina had been thinking about her dad a lot, too. There was something comforting about the way he'd never hesitated to jump into a fight, the way he had looked into a carnivore's eyes without showing any fear. Uncle Max always said there was something wrong with Buzz's head, and maybe there was, but Nina wouldn't have wanted it any other way. It was ironic, though, that the great Fearless Buzz had never gone past Shouting Range. He'd never had a real reason to leave, though. He loved his colony and believed that he had a duty to protect them even at the cost of his own life.

There had been a time when Nina thought she loved the gang too: Swifty, Flinchy, Joe and all the rest. Perhaps a small, deep part of her still did. But the evening Timon left, when Nina told the others he had gone away, almost all of them looked relieved. They all told her how sorry they were, and wasn't it a shame, and when was she going to have the memorial? That last one sent her over the edge. In any case, their words were all empty; she could hear in their voices and see in their eyes that they were glad Timon had moved out. And just that afternoon she'd told Timon that they all needed to look after each other!

Max had been no better than the others at first. He hadn't even pretended to be upset. The big difference with Max was that, when faced with a decision, he showed that he cared. He went with her. No one else had said so much as "Take care of yourself."

Nina sighed, feeling lost on many levels. Then she reminded herself that she would find Timon very soon. But what then? Should they go back to a colony that couldn't stand them? Or should they, perhaps, help Timon continue his search for the perfect home? Nina had given Timon her blessing, but she wasn't so optimistic that she was completely out of touch with reality. Even if they did find such a place, she couldn't see the point of starting a new colony if they couldn't keep it going after they died. Timon would have to find a girlfriend.

She shook her head, surprised at her own thoughts. Her baby, fathering kits! What was she thinking?

"Nina." Max nudged her. "It's dark. We should start digging while the night's young."

"Sure," she said, still musing. "The colony's probably asleep by now. Lucky them."

"Ah, the colony." Max inclined his head and folded his arms. "Yeah, I'm sure they aren't losing any sleep over us. I don't know if you noticed, but they didn't seem all that upset when we left. Not a wet eye among them."

"Yes, I did notice," she said in a slightly ironic tone.

There was a pause; then Max shrugged and said, "Come on, we got a tunnel to dig."

He shuffled toward the wide end of the crack, and Nina followed right behind him. Standing on tiptoe, she peered out over his head. The open hill rose before them, blued out under the darkening sky, and the moon was like a great glowing eye. Chilly air blew straight through their fur, carrying the scents of the leopard, jackals, and other creatures of the night. For a moment the meerkats stood there, taking in every smell, sight and sound.

"Well go on, I think it's clear," said Nina, giving Max a light push. He darted forward, chose a random spot on the ground and scratched his way into it. Nina followed, shutting her eyes and ears as the soil flew up at her. The descent went smoothly until she thought she heard Max yell. Her eyes and ears snapped open, and she saw the tunnel slanting down at a steep angle, with an opening shortly ahead. But she couldn't see Max at all.

"Max?" She scuttled toward the opening and saw that Max had accidentally dug into a large chamber, far bigger than any of the meeting chambers in their colony. Max was picking himself off the floor below and looking wildly around at the warthogs. Yes, the warthogs. There were five sows with several piglets huddled behind them, and they seemed just as astonished as Max.

"I _told _you I heard something," said one of the sows.

Nina dropped down to join Max, and the sow who had spoken frowned. "How many of you are there?"

"It's just us two." Nina shook dust from her head and looked up at the warthogs, whose tusks gleamed in the faint moonlight. "We're sorry for intruding. We didn't know anyone lived down here." Heat flushed Nina's cheeks; she hadn't felt this embarrassed since Timon's last tunnel accident.

Glancing around, she made out three large tunnels leading out of the chamber in different directions. "So, uh, we'll be leaving now. Which way is the exit?"

A warthog with a chipped tusk indicated with her head. "That way, take the left fork."

"Thanks. Come on, Uncle Max." The older meerkat was apparently trying to shrink into himself. Grabbing his arm, she started toward the tunnel - then she hesitated. She mustn't miss any opportunity to ask someone about her son. She cleared her throat.

"By the way, we're looking for my son. Have you seen a young red-haired meerkat with five stripes?"

Most of the warthogs continued to stare in surprise, but the one with the chipped tusk was now fairly composed. "Hm, I've seen two red-haired meerkat rogues lately, but I didn't get a good look at either of them."

Max recovered his voice. "He would have passed this way a couple of months ago."

"No, the mouse said..." Nina paused as she felt a nagging sensation. Something didn't add up, but she was too tired to think about it properly.

"Think about it, Nina. Timon left over two months ago. We've been traveling for a week. Do you really think Timon would stay here all that time? Does this look like a paradise to you?"

"Hey, this is our home you're talkin' about!" one of the piglets piped up.

Max readily included the piglet into the conversation. "It's not a _bad_ place, but it's no better than what we left behind."

Putting a paw to her forehead, Nina shut her eyes and stared hard at the backs of her eyelids. Of course she should have known right from the start, but that didn't lessen her devastation. Mice were well known for telling other creatures whatever they wanted to hear; they would say anything to avoid angering a larger animal. But Nina had been so anxious for good news that she'd immediately swallowed the mouse's statement as if it were the tastiest grub. Now she felt more lost than ever.

A warthog's voice reached her ears. "Are you okay?"

Nina opened her eyes and let her hand slid down the side of her face as she saw all of the warthogs and Uncle Max staring at her.

"I'll be fine." She sighed. "I just need to get some sleep and figure out what to do in the morning."

"Those are some nasty scratches, though," said a sow who sounded younger than the others.

"Really? It doesn't feel that bad." Actually, her back stung a bit worse than it had when the leopard first struck her. She tried to twist her head back to look at it, then gave up. "Uncle Max said it should heal in a week."

"I made that up, I'm no healer," he muttered.

By now all of the warthogs were finally getting over their surprise, and words flowed more freely.

"You should see the shaman about that," one of them said. "I know someone who knows someone who died from an infected cut."

"Really?" said one of the piglets in alarm. "I got a mosquito bite, will I be okay?"

"I don't think there's anything to worry about." The warthog with the chipped tusk glanced around at the concerned creatures. "All the same, it would be a good idea for you to see the shaman, uh...What is your name, dear?"

"I'm Nina, and this is my uncle Max." She put her paw over her mouth as she felt a yawn coming on. Whenever she passed from the sighing stage into the yawning stage, it was definitely time to get some shuteye.

"Yes, that's it," said the warthog, as if she had met them once before but couldn't remember their names. "My name's Hanziri, by the way. Anyhow, the shaman could also tell you if he's seen your son."

Doubt crept into Nina's mind. "I had a bad experience with a shaman this week..."

"True, but he was the only one you talked to who actually spoke to Timon," said Max. "And if another shaman sent Timon after metaphors, we need to know about it."

"Good point." She clenched her fists in determination, but the effect was lost when she let out a yawn. "Where does this shaman live?"

"About a quarter-day's walk east, there's this nice stand of big trees. If the shaman's not there, his son will be, and he's almost as good," Hanziri said, smiling.

Nina returned the friendly expression and clasped her paws. "Great, thank you very much for your help. Now..." she squinted tiredly at the three tunnels. "Which one was the exit again?"

One of the young adults took a few steps forward. "I was thinking," she said. "You guys were digging for shelter, right?"

The meerkats nodded.

"And, well, you found it." The warthog glanced around at the chamber walls. "So I don't see any reason why you shouldn't stay with us for the night." She turned to Hanziri. "If that's okay with you, Mom. We have more than enough room."

"I was thinking the same thing, dear." Hanziri's piggy eyes twinkled in the moonlight. "Hospitality is the best policy."

"That's honesty," corrected another warthog.

"All right, hospitality's the second best policy, then," said Hanziri. There were murmurs of agreement all around the room.

Nina was surprised and touched by this display of kindness; however, she didn't like the idea of sleeping in a warthog den. It was full of strange smells, drafts, and echoes. But more than that, she simply wouldn't feel comfortable sleeping in a burrow filled with strange, big creatures, even though they seemed friendly enough. She looked at Max and could tell he felt the same way.

"Well, what do you say?" said one of the warthogs.

Nina cleared her throat. "Thank you for the offer, really, but I think we would rather dig our own shelter."

"Are you _nuts?_" said Max, grabbing her arm. "You wanna go outside with the leopards and jackals when we're safe here?"

Nina had thought she could read Max's expressions fairly well in the moonlight, but apparently she was wrong. "Since you put it that way, it does make a lot of sense to stay here for the night."

"That's _right, _missy." He turned to look up at the warthogs. "Thank you, we're staying. And I'm sorry about the hole in your roof."

"I like it," a female piglet spoke up, wagging her tail."It lets the moonlight shine in. It's pretty."

Nina gazed up at the way she had come in, remembering the "skylight" Timon had made no so long ago.

"Yes, it is."

- - -

A/N: I hope this chapter was easy to picture and understand. It seems like more things should have happened in a chapter of that length. Oh well.


End file.
